A public inquiry has found that more babies could have been saved from nurse Lucy Letby if hospital managers had acted sooner on concerns about a rise in unexplained deaths and collapses on a neonatal unit in northern England.The finding came on Tuesday from the Thirlwall Inquiry, which examined how Letby’s offending went undetected at the Countess of Chester Hospital and how the hospital responded to concerns about her.
Who is Lucy Letby?
Letby was born in Hereford, central England, and trained as a nurse at the University of Chester. After qualifying, she began working in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.She is serving a life sentence after being convicted of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to murder eight others while working at the hospital between 2015 and 2016.
What the inquiry found
Inquiry chair Kathryn Thirlwall described the hospital’s failure to protect babies a “complete failure”. She concluded that some of the deaths could have been prevented had concerns about Letby been acted on earlier.The inquiry was not tasked with deciding whether Letby was guilty. Its focus was on how the hospital responded as doctors became increasingly concerned about an unusual pattern of deaths and serious collapses among babies in the neonatal unit.Over 18 months from January 2015, the number of babies dying or suffering unexpected medical collapses increased significantly. Senior doctors raised concerns after several babies suddenly deteriorated and failed to respond to resuscitation as expected.Those concerns eventually led investigators to focus on Letby, who was working on the unit when many of the incidents occurred.
What Letby was convicted of
Prosecutors argued that Letby deliberately harmed babies by injecting air into their bloodstreams or stomachs, administering excessive amounts of milk or, in some cases, using insulin.The victims included twins and triplets. One set of siblings died on consecutive days, while the youngest baby Letby was convicted of murdering was just one day old.Letby was arrested in 2018 and again in 2019 and 2020 before being charged with the murders and attempted murders.In August 2023, she was convicted of seven murders and seven attempted murders. She was acquitted of two other attempted murder charges, while jurors could not reach verdicts on six alleged attacks.She was convicted in a retrial the following year of attempting to murder another newborn.Letby has consistently denied harming any of the babies and has maintained that she is innocent.
Why her convictions remain disputed
Despite her convictions, questions about the evidence used against Letby have continued to fuel a campaign arguing that she was wrongly convicted.Some medical specialists have challenged aspects of the prosecution’s case. Neonatal doctor Professor Shoo Lee has said research associated with him was misused during Letby’s trial and that he and other international experts did not believe the babies had been deliberately attacked.Those challenging the convictions have argued that medical errors and failures at the hospital could have contributed to the babies’ deaths and collapses.Letby has made several attempts to appeal her convictions, but the courts have rejected them. Her case has now been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is examining whether the convictions are safe. There is currently no timetable for its decision.
Police investigation continues
Police have also examined whether other babies may have been harmed during Letby’s time at the Countess of Chester Hospital and during her training at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.Prosecutors said in January that no further charges would be brought against Letby. Police described the decision as disappointing.A separate investigation into the hospital’s management remains ongoing. Three senior members of the hospital leadership team were arrested last July on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.Letby remains in prison serving her life sentence while the Criminal Cases Review Commission considers her case.
